*EPF105 04/15/2002
Transcript: Powell's Remarks After Meeting Lebanese Leaders April 15
(Supports Palestinian state, concerned over Israeli-Lebanese border) (1160)

Secretary Powell told reporters in Beirut April 15 that, as he continues his travels in the Middle East, his staff in Jerusalem is working with the Palestinian and Israeli leaders on how to reduce terrorist incidents, accelerate the Israeli withdrawal, and get humanitarian assistance to people in need.

"At the same time," Powell said, "we must move aggressively to restart a political process" which will lead to the creation of a Palestinian state as envisioned in UN resolutions.

Powell also voiced concerns over attacks emanating from Lebanon's southern border into Israel. "There is a very real danger that the situation along the border is widening the conflict throughout the region. It is essential for all those who are committed to peace to act immediately to stop aggressive actions along the entire border," he said.

Following is the transcript of Secretary Powell's press conference with the Lebanese Foreign Minister in Beirut April 15.

(begin transcript)

Remarks with Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud following Meeting with Lebanese President Lahoud

Secretary Colin L. Powell Presidential Palace Beirut, Lebanon April 15, 2002

LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTER HAMMOUD: President Emile Lahoud held a comprehensive and constructive discussion with Secretary Colin Powell that touched upon the developments in the Middle East in light of the Israeli offensive in the Palestinian territory. They also discussed the situation in South Lebanon.

During the discussions, President Lahoud stressed that developments in the region cannot be isolated from the Israeli escalation in the Palestinian territories which means that the crisis in the region should not only be seen from the angle of developments in the occupied territories but also as a need to seek a comprehensive and just peace that would provide a solution and guarantee the rights of all parties in the conflict.

We confirmed that Israel is responsible for the current escalation because it blocked all former efforts seeking peace and rejected international resolutions that demand its withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories. Consequently, the resistance and the intifada became the only way to force Israel into implementing these resolutions, similar to what happened with the Lebanese resistance, which made Israel implement the greater part of Resolution 425 after 22 years.

President Lahoud called on the U.S. to view the situation in the region with objectivity and realism and not be influenced by Israeli pressure and positions that portray the resistance operations in Sheb'a as terrorist activities.

President Lahoud also called on the U.S. to remobilize the peace process based on international resolutions that achieve Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories, guarantee the return of Palestinian refugees to their land, and a return to negotiations among all concerned parties based on the Madrid conference and UN Security Council resolutions 194, 242, 338, and 425 because the Israeli policy of force will not reach any conclusion.

President Lahoud confirmed that comprehensive and just peace is the only guarantee for the return of Arab rights, which will be a basis for all other guarantees.

President Lahoud stressed the rejection of Palestinian settlement in Arab countries that have hosted them especially Lebanon.

President Lahoud told Secretary Powell that the Arab Summit decisions provided an opportunity for the U.S. and all peace-loving countries. They should benefit from it and stop Israel from continuing in its plan to strike the Arab peace process.

SECRETARY POWELL: Thank you very much, Mr. Minister and good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am very pleased to be here on my first trip to Lebanon since becoming Secretary of State even though my trip comes at a very difficult time for the region.

A few short weeks ago the Arab League met here in Beirut under the chairmanship of President Lahoud and unanimously endorsed a vision of peace based on Crown Prince Abdullah's initiative. It is a vision that President Bush shares, a vision of two states living side by side in peace, a vision of comprehensive peace in the region including Syria and Lebanon. A peace based on UN Security Council Resolution 242, 338, and other relevant resolutions. To realize that vision, there must be an end to the violence and terror. There must also be an end to the Israeli incursions in the Palestinian areas. Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority must exert all efforts to stop suicide bombings and other acts of terror. At the same time we must move aggressively to restart a political process, which will make this vision a reality.

The United States remains concerned about the continuing violence across the blue line. There is a very real danger that the situation along the border is widening the conflict throughout the region. It is essential for all those who are committed to peace to act immediately to stop aggressive actions along the entire border. This is a message we have conveyed and will continue to convey to all of the governments in the region, and the purpose of my trip today both to Beirut as well as to Damascus later in the afternoon.

Thank you very much.

QUESTION: (Inaudible)

SECRETARY POWELL: I heard the strong criticism. My goal is to try to find a way forward and we are working very hard to do just that in my conversations over the last several days with the Israeli Government as well as the leaders of the Palestinian Authority. We have been focusing on ending the violence, ending terror acts, ending suicide bombers. We have been focusing on accelerating the Israeli withdrawal and we have also been putting forward a vision of moving forward towards negotiations under the (inaudible) resolutions that will also include elements of real humanitarian relief for the people in need. These things are being put together, ideas are being shared with both the both Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Government today, by my staff while I'm on this trip, and I hope to have an assessment from my staff when I get back to Jerusalem conceiving as what might be achievable in the very near future.

QUESTION: You have defined terrorism as killing civilians for political targets although what's happening in the Palestinian territories now is a genocide against the Palestinians. Do you condemn this?

SECRETARY POWELL: I condemn anything that takes the lives of innocent civilians. What I am interested in doing right now, though, is bringing an end to the violence, bringing an end to the conflict because what we need to do is to get the violence down so that we can go forward as quickly as possible to find a political solution, one that will deal with the problem in the territories, that will give us the basis for a comprehensive solution, a comprehensive solution that will achieve the vision that President Bush's laid out, the vision that the United Nations has, all the international community has, based on relevant U.N. resolutions.

Thank you very much.

(end transcript)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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